Use of Radiomics Combined With Machine Learning Method in the Recurrence Patterns After Intensity-Modulated Radiotherapy for Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma: A Preliminary Study

Objective: To analyze the recurrence patterns and reasons in patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) treated with intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) and to investigate the feasibility of radiomics for analysis of radioresistance.Methods: We analyzed 306 NPC patients treated with IMRT from Jul-2009 to Aug-2016, 20 of whom developed with recurrence. For the NPCs with recurrence, CT, MR, or PET/CT images of recurrent disease were registered with the primary planning CT for dosimetry analysis. The recurrences were defined as in-field, marginal or out-of-field, according to dose-volume histogram (DVH) of the recurrence volume. To explore the predictive power of radiomics for NPCs with in-field recurrences (NPC-IFR), 16 NPCs with non-progression disease (NPC-NPD) were used for comparison. For these NPC-IFRs and NPC-NPDs, 1117 radiomic features were quantified from the tumor region using pre-treatment spectral attenuated inversion-recovery T2-weighted (SPAIR T2W) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC) and Pearson correlation coefficient (PCC) was calculated to identify influential feature subset. Kruskal-Wallis test and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis were employed to assess the capability of each feature on NPC-IFR prediction. Principal component analysis (PCA) was performed for feature reduction. Artificial neural network (ANN), k-nearest neighbor (KNN), and support vector machine (SVM) models were trained and validated by using stratified 10-fold cross validation.Results: The median follow up was 26.5 (range 8–65) months. 9/20 (45%) occurred in the primary tumor, 8/20 (40%) occurred in regional lymph nodes, and 3/20 (15%) patients developed a primary and regional failure. Dosimetric and target volume analysis of the recurrence indicated that there were 18 in-field, and 1 marginal as well as 1 out-of-field recurrence. With pre-therapeutic SPAIR T2W MRI images available, 11 NPC-IFRs (11 of 18 NPC-IFRs who had available pre-therapeutic MRI) and 16 NPC-NPDs were subsequently employed for radiomic analysis. Results showed that NPC-IFRs vs. NPC-NPDs could be differentiated by 8 features (AUCs: 0.727–0.835). The classification models showed potential in prediction of NPC-IFR with higher accuracies (ANN: 0.812, KNN: 0.775, SVM: 0.732).Conclusion: In-field and high-dose region relapse were the main recurrence patterns which may be due to the radioresistance. After integration in the clinical workflow, radiomic analysis can be served as imaging biomarkers to facilitate early salvage for NPC patients who are at risk of in-field recurrence

CoO@N-Doped Carbon Composite Nanotubes as Excellent Anodes for Lithium-Ion Batteries

In this work, we report the successful fabrication a new type of CoO@N-doped carbon matrix composite nanotubes (CoO@NC Ntm) using Co(CO)(OH)⋅0.11HO needlelike nanorods as the self-sacrifice templates and polypyrrole as carbon and nitrogen sources. The preparation process is facile and efficient. CoO nanoparticles are homogeneously embedded in the N-doped carbon nanotube matrix. Combining the benefits of the N-doped carbon matrix and the special architecture, CoO@NC Ntm delivers a superior long-term cycling stability and high-rate performance as the anode material for lithium-ion batteries. Even when tested at a higher current density of 2000 mA g, a reversible capacity of 523.4 mAh g can be retained after 1000 cycles, with capacity retention of almost 100 % from 2 to 1000 cycles. This work may shed light on the fabrication of other oxide materials @N-doped carbon matrix composites for energy-storage applications

Insulin Receptor Substrate p53 Ameliorates High-Glucose-Induced Activation of NF-κB and Impaired Mobility of HUVECs

Diabetes-related macrovascular and microvascular complications lead to poor prognosis. Insulin receptor substrate p53 (IRSp53) is known to act as a substrate for the insulin receptor tyrosine kinase, but its role in endothelial dysfunction remains unclear. Human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) treated with D-glucose at different concentrations and a streptozocin-induced rat diabetes mellitus (DM) model were used to investigate the effects of hyperglycemia on the expression levels of IRSp53 and galectin-3 (gal-3) and the inflammatory state and mobility of HUVECs. Thereafter, IRSp53-overexpressing HUVECs and IRSp53-knockdown HUVECs were established using IRSp53-overexpressing lentivirus or IRSp53-siRNA to explore the role of IRSp53 in the HUVEC inflammatory state and HUVEC mobility. D-glucose at high concentration (HG) and hyperglycemia were found to induce downregulation of IRSp53 and upregulation of gal-3 in vitro and in vivo. Treatment with HG resulted in activation of NF-κB in HUVECs and impaired HUVEC mobility. Insulin restored HG-induced changes in the expression levels of IRSp53 and gal-3 in HUVECs and protected the cells from NF-κB activation and impaired mobility. Overexpression of IRSp53 inhibited the activation of NF-κB in HUVECs and strengthened HUVEC migration. Knockdown of IRSp53 facilitated the activation of NF-κB in HUVECs and decreased HUVEC migration. However, neither overexpression nor knockdown of IRSp53 altered the effects of insulin on HG-induced detrimental changes in HUVECs. HG and hyperglycemia resulted in downregulation of IRSp53 in vitro and in vivo. IRSp53 is concluded to inhibit the activation of NF-κB in HUVECs and to strengthen HUVEC migration

Clean Hydrogen Release from Ammonia Borane in a Metal–Organic Framework with Unsaturated Coordinated Tm³⁺

A hybrid of ammonia borane (AB) and a metal–organic framework (MOF), which contains unsaturated coordinated Tm³⁺, Tm­(BTC) (BTC = 1,3,5-benzenetricarboxylic), was synthesized through the solvent-based impregnation method (named as AB@Tm­(BTC)–CH₃OH). Also two other materials AB@Tm­(BTC)-milled and AB@Tm₂O₃-milled were prepared by physical milling separately. TPD-MS results show that the H₂-release peaks of the three materials shift to lower temperature, 77, 79, and 85 °C, respectively, compared with neat AB (114 and 150 °C). To avoid the undesirable volatile byproduct, only AB@Tm­(BTC)–CH₃OH shows superior performance without any byproduct, especially ammonia. The three samples exhibit enhanced dehydrogenation kinetics compared to neat AB, but AB@Tm₂O₃-milled presents much slower than the other two materials. The dehydrogenation activation energies of AB@Tm­(BTC)–CH₃OH, AB@Tm­(BTC)-milled, and AB@Tm₂O₃-milled are 98.1, 103.1, and 116.4 kJ·mol^–1, respectively. The mechanisms of the AB@MOF thermal dehydrogenation system especially for the prevention of ammonia have been discussed. The interaction between AB and the unsaturated coordinated metal sites in MOFs plays a key role for inhibiting ammonia during AB thermolysis

Effect of carbide interlayers on the microstructure and properties of graphene-nanoplatelet-reinforced copper matrix composites

Copper matrix composites reinforced with carbide-coated graphene nanoplatelets (GNPs) were investigated in order to understand the role of the interlayers on the thermal, electrical, mechanical and electro-tribological properties of the composites. The TiC or VC coatings were formed in situ on the two sides of GNPs through a controllable reaction in molten salts. Compared with bare GNPs composites, the bonding between the GNPs and copper was improved. Accordingly, the tensile strength and the fracture elongation of Cu/GNPs composites with an interlayer were enhanced by strengthened interfacial bonding. Furthermore, the wear resistance of Cu/GNPs composites was remarkably improved.Funding Agencies|National Natural Science Foundation of China [91426304]; Ningbo Municipal Key Project [2014S10001]; Preferred Foundation of Postdoctoral Scientific Research Project of Zhejiang Province [BSH1502159]; Swedish Foundation for Strategic Research (SSF) through the Future Research Leaders 5 program; Synergy Grant FUNCASE</p

Development and preliminary validation of a PROS scale for Chinese bladder cancer patients with abdominal stoma

Abstract Bladder cancer is a common malignant tumor, and patients who have undergone radical cystectomy and urinary diversion require a lifelong abdominal stoma. This greatly affects their physiological, psychological, and social well-being. However, there is currently a lack of a self-assessment outcome scale specifically designed for bladder cancer patients with abdominal stomas. Therefore, we developed and validated a self-assessment outcome scale (PROS-BCAS) for Chinese bladder cancer patients with abdominal stomas. The scale was initially developed through literature research and expert consultation, and it comprised four dimensions: physiological, psychological, social, and treatment, with a total of 66 items. After item analysis, 44 items were retained. We collected scale data from 382 patients to examine its validity and reliability. The results showed that the PROS-BCAS scale had good content validity (S-CVI/Ave = 0.992), construct validity (KMO > 0.6), and discriminant validity (correlation coefficient 0.404–0.870). The Cronbach's alpha coefficients (0.801–0.954), test–retest reliability (0.778–0.956), and split-half reliability (0.896–0.977) all demonstrated good internal consistency for each dimension and the overall scale. The study demonstrated that the PROS-BCAS scale is a reliable and valid tool for accurately assessing the health-related quality of life of bladder cancer patients with abdominal stomas, providing reference for developing individualized clinical care plans

Thickness-dependent phase evolution and bonding strength of SiC ceramics joints with active Ti interlayer

A robust solid state diffusion joining technique for SiC ceramics was designed with a thickness-controlled Ti interlayer formed by physical vapor deposition and joined by electric field-assisted sintering technology. The interface reaction and phase revolution process were investigated in terms of the equilibrium phase diagram and the concentration-dependent potential diagram of the Ti-Si-C ternary system. Interestingly, under the same joining conditions (fixed temperature and annealing duration), the thickness of the Ti interlayer determined the concentration and distribution of the Si and C reactants in the resulting joint layer, and the respective diffusion distance of Si and C into the Ti interlayer differentiated dramatically during the short joining process (only 5 min). In the case of a 100 nm Ti coating as an interlayer, the C concentration in the joint layer was saturated quickly, which benefited the formation of a TiC phase and subsequent Ti3SiC2 phase. The SiC ceramics were successfully joined at a low temperature of 1000 degrees C with a flexural strength of 168.2 MPa, which satisfies applications in corrosive environments. When the Ti thickness was increased to 1 mu m, Si atoms diffused easily through the diluted Ti-C alloy (a dense TiC phase was not formed), and the Ti5Si3 brittle phase formed preferentially. These findings highlight the importance of the diffusion kinetics of the reactants on the final composition in the solid state reaction, particularly in the joining technique for covalent SiC ceramics. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved

Engineering a HemoMap Nanovaccine for Inducing Immune Responses against Melanoma

Neoantigen vaccines have opened a new paradigm for cancer immunotherapy. Here, we constructed a neoantigen nanovaccine-HemoMap, with the ability to target lymph nodes and activate immune cells. We propose a HemoMap nanovaccine consisting of the mouse melanoma highly expressed antigenic peptide Tyrp1 and a magnesium nanoadjuvant-HemoM. By immunofluorescence labeling of the nanovaccine, the lymph node targeting of the vaccine was observed and verified by a mouse near-infrared imaging system. About two-fold higher effective retention of HemoMap induces the internalization of Tyrp1 in DCs than that of free Tyrp1 in draining lymph nodes (DLNs) for 48 h. A mouse melanoma subcutaneous model was established to evaluate neoantigen-specific antitumor immune responses. In comparison to the control group, the tumor growth rate was dramatically slowed down by HemoMap treatment, and the median survival time was extended by 7 days. We discovered that effective co-delivery of Tyrp1 antigen and magnesium (Mg2+) to lymph nodes (LNs) boosted cellular internalization and activated immune cells, such as CD11c+ DCs and CD8+ T lymphocytes. Spleen lymphocytes from the HemoMap group displayed much more antitumor activity than those from the other groups. Our findings highlight that HemoMap is promising to trigger T cell responses and to provide novel nanoadjuvants strategies for cancer immunotherapy